Editing Malcolm Fraser (section)

==Early life==
===Birth and family background===
John Malcolm Fraser<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Redmond |first=Elizabeth M. |date= |orig-date=1972 |others=Published online in 2006. |title=Sir Simon Fraser (1832–1919) |url=https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/fraser-sir-simon-399 |journal=[[Australian Dictionary of Biography]] |volume=4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250114083439/https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/fraser-sir-simon-399 |archive-date=14 January 2025 |quote=A grandson John Malcolm Fraser (1930-2015) was prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983.}}</ref> was born in [[Toorak, Victoria|Toorak, Melbourne, Victoria]], on 21 May 1930.<ref>Fraser & Simons (2011), p. 15.</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Stack |first=Liam |date=2015-03-20 |title=Malcolm Fraser, a Leader Given Power During Crisis in Australia, Dies at 84 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/world/asia/malcolm-fraser-a-leader-given-power-during-crisis-in-australia-dies-at-84.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305040715/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/world/asia/malcolm-fraser-a-leader-given-power-during-crisis-in-australia-dies-at-84.html |archive-date=5 March 2023 |access-date=2025-03-14 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> He was the second of two children born to Una Arnold (née Woolf) and [[Neville Fraser|John Neville Fraser]]; his older sister Lorraine had been born in 1928. Both he and his father were known exclusively by their middle names. His paternal grandfather, [[Simon Fraser (Australian politician)|Sir Simon Fraser]], was born in [[Nova Scotia]], Canada, and arrived in Australia in 1853. He made his fortune as a railway contractor, and later acquired significant [[Pastoral farming|pastoral]] holdings, becoming a member of the "[[squattocracy]]". Fraser's maternal grandfather, Louis Woolf, was born in [[Dunedin]], New Zealand, and arrived in Australia as a child. He was of Jewish origin, a fact which his grandson did not learn until he was an adult. A chartered accountant by trade, he married Amy Booth, who was related to the wealthy [[Hordern family]] of Sydney and was a first cousin of [[Samuel Hordern|Sir Samuel Hordern]].<ref>Fraser & Simons (2011).</ref>

Fraser had a political background on both sides of his family. His father served on the [[Wakool Shire]] Council, including as president for two years, and was an admirer of [[Billy Hughes]] and a friend of [[Richard Casey, Baron Casey|Richard Casey]]. Simon Fraser served in both houses of the colonial [[Parliament of Victoria]], and represented Victoria at several of the [[Constitutional Convention (Australia)|constitutional conventions]] of the 1890s. He eventually become one of the inaugural members of the new [[Australian Senate|federal Senate]], serving from 1901 to 1913 as a member of the early conservative parties. Louis Woolf also stood for the Senate in 1901, standing as a [[Free Trade Party|Free Trader]] in [[Western Australia]]. He polled only 400 votes across the whole state, and was never again a candidate for public office.<ref>Fraser & Simons (2011).</ref>

===Childhood===
Fraser spent most of his early life at ''Balpool-Nyang'', a [[sheep station]] of {{convert|15000|ha|acre}} on the [[Edward River]] near [[Moulamein, New South Wales]]. His father had a law degree from [[Magdalen College, Oxford]], but never practised law and preferred the life of a grazier. Fraser contracted a severe case of pneumonia when he was eight years old, which nearly proved fatal. He was home-schooled until the age of ten, when he was sent to board at [[Tudor House School]] in the [[Southern Highlands (New South Wales)|Southern Highlands]]. He attended Tudor House from 1940 to 1943, and then completed his secondary education at [[Melbourne Grammar School]] from 1944 to 1948 where he was a member of Rusden House. While at Melbourne Grammar, he lived in a flat that his parents owned on [[Collins Street, Melbourne|Collins Street]]. In 1943, Fraser's father sold ''Balpool-Nyang'' – which had been prone to drought – and bought ''Nareen'', in the [[Western District (Victoria)|Western District]] of Victoria. He was devastated by the sale of his childhood home, and regarded the day he found out about it as the worst of his life.<ref>Fraser & Simons (2011).</ref>

===University===
In 1949, Fraser moved to England to study at [[Magdalen College, Oxford]], which his father had also attended. He read [[Philosophy, Politics and Economics]] (PPE), graduating in 1952 with [[third-class honours]]. Although Fraser did not excel academically, he regarded his time at Oxford as his intellectual awakening, where he learned "how to think". His college [[Tutor (education)|tutor]] was [[Thomas Dewar Weldon|Harry Weldon]], who was a strong influence. His circle of friends at Oxford included [[Raymond Bonham Carter]], [[Nicolas Browne-Wilkinson, Baron Browne-Wilkinson|Nicolas Browne-Wilkinson]], and [[John Turner]]. In his second year, he had a relationship with Anne Reid, who as [[Anne Fairbairn]] later became a prominent poet. After graduating, Fraser considered taking a law degree or joining the [[British Army]], but eventually decided to return to Australia and take over the running of the family property.<ref>Fraser & Simons (2011).</ref>